I cannot believe it’s been over five years since I added anything here. I knew it’d been a while, but…. Wow! I started feeling a little overwhelmed with keeping this up, and it became more of a chore than a joy.
However, I recently went looking for a specific blog post, and realized that I never posted it. That got me thinking that maybe it was time to dust off the cobwebs and put a few posts down. No pressure.
To get you up to speed, here’s my Christmas letter from 2019.
For more of what I’ve been up to, check out my Instagram.

December 3, 2019

Dear Friends and Family,

As the decade draws to a close, I figure it’s high time that I send out a little update. Most years, I have very little to say. However, the past two years have been a little more eventful. I’ll start with 2018. 

In April 2018, I had the wonderful privilege of visiting my dear friend Heleen in The Netherlands! It was my first trip to Europe. Heleen and I “met” online about a dozen years ago and have been dear friends since. We previously met in person when she visited a mutual friend in Texas in 2010. I’d been wanting to visit her for quite some time and finally decided to just do it! I’m so glad I did. I spent two weeks with her family, exploring her beautiful little city, Hattem, and some other sites in her country. We even made a day trip to Dusseldorf, Germany so I could visit the land of my ancestors. 😉 I’ve made tentative plans for a return trip next year. I would love to make it a semi-regular thing. 

Many of you may remember my two cats, Harley and Jasper. I lost Harley to cancer in 2012. It was just Jasper and I for a couple years until we welcomed Ziva into our home. She has been a delight and a much needed comfort as I lost Jasper in July 2018 at the age of 18. Ziva is loving being an only cat, so I don’t see us adding to the household any time soon.

2019 had been mostly uneventful until October. As you most likely noticed, I have a new address!  I had been casually looking for a new apartment when I stumbled upon a small, detached apartment home on a 9-acre horse farm near Monroe, WA. The price, timing, and features were just right. It’s smaller than my last apartment, but I have an in-unit laundry for the first time in over a decade! I officially moved on November 1. Ziva and I are settling in, and I’m finding that country life suits this “city girl” just fine. I traded sirens and neighbors for farm noises and neigh-bors. I’m loving all the animals! I keep saying that it’s “like therapy.” 

I still work for the same Home Care agency. I just celebrated my 22nd anniversary with them. I still love my job! Thankfully, my commutes didn’t change much with my move.

I hope all is well with you and yours. May you have a Wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Decade!